Floating receptacle and bag toss game

ABSTRACT

A sturdy, transportable bean bag toss game intended for play in a shallow body of water. Floating receptacles are used as the targets and bags are tossed into the receptacles to score points. Game utilizes some of the principles of traditional corn hole bean bag toss game, with the intention to have a game that can be played in shallow bodies of water, including swimming pools, lakes, and rivers. Construction materials are lightweight, durable, easily transported, waterproof, and quick drying.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

The field of invention is related to recreational games and specificallyto bag toss games. Traditionally the games are played utilizing boardsprimarily on land; this new and improved bag toss game is designed to beplayed using floating receptacles in a shallow body of water.Construction materials are lightweight, durable, easily transported,waterproof, and quick drying.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Bag toss games continue to gain in popularity as new generations areintroduced to the game. These games are well known in prior art withopponents attempting to toss bean bags into target receptacles. Therehave been many improvements of the bean bag toss game related to gamesdesigned for play on land.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,871,216 (Sparacino) describes a bean bag toss game withplatforms, and for use of play on land. The game requires assembly anddisassembly of the platforms.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,173,957 (James, Sr.) describes a disc tossing game witha plurality of moveable targets constructed as a horizontal tube orsimilar shape. The target is inflatable for portability and floatation.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,403,907 (Keller) describes a floating target and discgame. The game is played by throwing discs at a receptacle that ispartially submersed underwater. The diagram demonstrates a playertossing the disc from the deck of a pool into the floating receptacle.The singular receptacle is used by all opponents for tossing discs.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,620,185 (Robertson) describes a disk game for use onland or water. Players attempt to have discs land on circular flangesattached to a mat.

U.S. Pat. No. 8,915,498 (Hynds) describes a cornhole game difficultymodification to the traditional corn hole bag toss game played withboards on land. Modification allows players to change the configurationof the game board's aperture without permanently modifying the gameboard.

The prior art demonstrates the need for continued improvements of thisbeloved game beyond the traditional. Prior art also highlights the needfor a variation that can be played in many types of bodies of water withease, by all ages. The floating receptacle and has toss game inventionherein described adds value to the bag toss games having certainadvantages over games described in the prior art. The prior art does notdisclose a sturdy, transportable, ready to play bean bag toss game foruse in bodies of water with opponents tossing bean bags into multiplereceptacles, with varying sizes of receptacles to increase level ofdifficulty and enhance entertainment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The subject invention is a unique bag toss game that is played inshallow bodies of water. The game apparatus of this invention includes(8) tossing bags and (6) receptacles, which were previously described inthe Claims section of this patent application. In the game rules of playprovided below, receptacles are referred to as “rings” for simplicity ofa familiar term for consumers. As detailed in the Claims section of thispatent application, receptacles could take several shapes and forms, andare not required to be shaped as rings to be covered under this patent.

The object of this invention is to bring a new and exciting variation tothe traditional bag toss game that can be enjoyed by all in water. Thisgame is easy to set up, easy to use, and has no age restrictionsenabling plenty of family fun. This game will be affordable for theaverage household, and easily transported and cared for.

Rules of play are provided and intended as a suggested course for playand scoring. Variations and modifications of rules of play are common inall types of recreational games among experienced and novice players.Variations or modifications of rules of play can be made by anyone anddo not constitute a material change from the claimed invention.

Rules of Play

Recommended to play in knee deep water, 4″ to 18″ for best results.Rings are anchored, but will naturally drift slightly with the movementof the water, which will give any competitor a challenge. Childrenshould never be left unattended to play the game in any body of water.

The game can be played with either 2 or 4 players. 4 players play asteams.

The object of the game is to outscore your opponents by being the firstplayer or team to reach 21 points.

Largest rings should be placed approximately 20′ apart from front tofront of the largest rings. Medium ring should be spaced 1′ further awayfrom the large rings outer diameter. The small ring should be spaced 1′behind the medium ring with small ring outer diameter furthest away.

If playing with 4—then teammates should face each other from oppositeends of the rings. Each team plays with a set of 4 tossing bags of thesame color.

Play starts at one end with all 8 tossing bags. Opponents alternatetosses until all 8 bags are thrown. The round is scored after all bagshave been thrown.

Repeat play from the other end. The team that scored last throws first.Players must throw at or behind the largest ring. If player throws fromin front of largest ring then toss is invalid.

Scoring

Points are earned based on degree of difficulty of the toss. Thesmallest rings are also furthest away, and are worth more points thanthe medium or large rings.

Each bag in large ring is scored 1 point.

Each bag in medium ring is scored 2 points.

Each bag in small ring is scored 3 points.

No points are lost for missed throws that do not go into a ring.

After all bags have been counted, the score of the lowest scoring playeris deducted from the highest scoring player for that round. The pointsearned are the difference remaining. Please see examples below.

Player 1 makes 1 bag in large ring and 2 bags in small ring. Points are7. 1 point for large, and 3 points each for the 2 bags in small.

Player 2 makes 3 bags in small ring. Points are 9. 3 points for each ofthe 3 bags in small. Player 2 scored 2 points. Their points of 9, minusPlayer 1's points of 7.

Variations

To increase the level of difficulty try requiring the winning throw toequal exact points needed. If player exceeds 21, then reduce thatplayer's score to 15 and continue play.

If you are pairing experienced players against new or young playersconsider giving the other player a head start by spotting them an agreednumber of points towards the goal of 21.

Remove the anchor from the bottom of one or all of the rings. This willallow the rings to free float, making them a moving target.

Space the rings further than 20′ apart to make the throws moredifficult.

Space rings closer than 20′ to make the game more enjoyable for youngand new players.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The game components of the invention are depicted in the provideddrawings:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a elevation view of figure one

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIGS. 1-2, the bag toss game consists of receptacles 1 andtossing bags 5. The object of the game is to toss the bags 5 into thevaried sizes of receptacles 1. Each receptacle 1 size correlates to adifferent point scoring based on the degree of difficulty.

In the preferred embodiment the receptacles 1 are shaped as octagons asillustrated in FIG. 1. Although the preferred embodiment is octagon, anygeometric shape could easily be utilized to provide a slight variation,as referenced in CLAIMS above.

In FIG. 1 the receptacle 1 is formed utilizing ½″ I.D. (¾″ O.D.)schedule 40 pvc pipe 2 that is joined together with 45 deg schedule 40pvc couplers 3. Placed over the pvc pipe 2 and couplers 3 arecylindrical pieces of polyethylene foam 4, which allows the receptaclesto float.

In FIG. 2 elevation view, the receptacle 1 is displayed as if it was setup to play. The 1″ nylon square mesh barrier netting 6 is attached tothe formed receptacle 1 to capture bags tossed into the receptacle 1.

In FIG. 2 the barrier netting 6 is displayed with the leader 8 attachedto the netting by a snap clip 7. The snap clip 7 serves to attach theleader 8 and anchor 9 to the netting. The snap clip 7 can be eitherpermanent or removable. With a removable snap clip 7 the game can beplayed with or without the anchor.

The anchor 9 seen in FIG. 2 serves to keep the receptacles 1 stationaryin the body of water. Without the anchor 9 the receptacles 1 could move,perhaps significantly, and may be prone to flipping if a bag toss hitsthe receptacle I. In the preferred embodiment, the anchor 9 will beaffixed via the leader 8 and snap clip 7 to keep the receptacles 1stationary and prevent flipping of receptacles.

What is claimed is:
 1. A transportable bag toss game for use in ashallow body of water comprising: a. at least one tossing bag, and b. aplurality of floating receptacles that tossing bag is thrown towardswith the goal being to toss into the receptacle, and c. bags are used asprojectiles to be tossed at the floating receptacles
 2. Bags a. can becompromised of any type of material construction, and rot proof filling,and are not required to be waterproof b. current design in prototypestage utilizes 4″ mini bean bags of canvas material and filled withrecycled plastic pellets c. tossing bags are commonly referred to as“bean bags”; however, rot proof filling must be used for thisapplication and bean filling is not recommended
 3. Floating receptaclesa. floating receptacle can be made of any material that is lightweightand able to float, although construction material for receptacle is notrequired to have ability to float, if additional material is added toreceptacle to enable floatation b. current design in prototype stage isconstructed of ½″ I.D. (¾″ O.D.), schedule 40 pvc pipe that has been cutand joined together with 45 deg, schedule 40 pvc couplers secured withpvc glue c. current design in prototype stage has attached to eachreceptacle 4 cylindrical pieces of polyethylene foam, with a ¾″ I.D.(2.25″ O.D.) to provide floatation d. polyethylene foam is secured at 90degree intervals, i.e. 0 degrees, 90 degrees, 180 degrees, 270 degreese. current design in prototype stage has the shape of floatingreceptacles as flat octagonal, but could take any geometric shape, aslong as materials can be equipped to specifications allowing bags to betossed into them. f. Current design in prototype stage is comprised ofrigid materials; however, any type of material composite can be utilizedwhich could make the device flexible g. Current design in prototypestage is not adjustable; however, there is potential to make thereceptacles adjustable to allow consumers to change the shape or eventhe size of each or all of the receptacles h. game consists of 2 eachsmall receptacles with an approximate pvc inside diameter of 7.5″, with4 cylindrical pieces of polyethylene foam that are 3″ in length i. gameconsists of 2 each medium receptacles with an approximate pvc insidediameter of 12″ with 4 cylindrical pieces of polyethylene foam that are5″ in length j. game consists of 2 each large receptacles with anapproximate pvc inside diameter of 17″ with 4 cylindrical pieces ofpolyethylene foam that are 7″ in length k. 1″ nylon square mesh barriernetting is attached to pvc pipe which is used to catch bags tossed intothe receptacles l. Netting could have varying sizes of holes andfunction properly, as long as the holes are smaller than the bags beingtossed m. current design in prototype stage is constructed using 1″nylon square mesh barrier netting, but other materials could be utilizedfor the net as well n. Netting depth ranges from 12″ to 14″ and is sewnclosed to form an enclosure to catch the bags o. anchors are attached tothe netting on each receptacle, allowing the receptacle to remainstationary in the water p. current design in prototype stage utilizes a10 ounce lead bank sinker as the anchor q. any material could be used asthe anchor, as long as the material is resistant to rust, and of properweight to secure the receptacle without damaging the netting and can besecured to the leader r. a ⅛″ nylon rope (leader), is attached to thebottom of the netting by a removable snap clip to secure the anchor s.Rope leader distances anchor from netting by approximately 7″ t.floating receptacles and bag toss game is constructed and can be playedwith or without an anchor u. utilizing game without an anchor would be amore challenging version for experienced players v. game components canbe manufactured in a variety of colors, prints and designs, includingglow-in-the dark materials w. current design in prototype stage does notinclude any lighting capabilities, but lights could be added in futuredesigns, to allow for night play x. if added, lights would need to be ofwaterproof material, preferably solar powered, and could be affixed aseither one, or a multiple, to the receptacles or any component of thereceptacles y. all dimensions provided are approximate, and finalproduct may vary slightly due to changes in material, and improvement ofcurrent prototype
 4. Game packaging a. The receptacles are designed tonest to minimize packaging materials required and be environmentallyfriendly. Tossing bags are placed within the receptacles. Packagingcould be as small as 22″ square×4″ deep.
 5. Because this product isstill in prototype stage, we claim under this patent any modificationthat does not result in a significant change to the concept of the gamethat we have invented. We further expand the definition of modificationto be any change that does not substantially change the game, includingthe use of different construction materials, altering shapes, sizes,depth, width, or length, and changes to rules of play. For a change ofconcept to be valid, a new, novel, or non-obvious addition to thecurrent invention must be proven.
 6. As this prototype moves to massproduction to market and sell, the materials used may be updated to bemore cost effective and/or accommodate mass production assembly lines.The concept of the floating receptacle bag toss game is the mostimportant component of this patent, with less emphasis on the specificmaterials, shapes, sizes, and measurements to construct the game.